Braised Oxtails with Star Anise and Chinese Greens

I have a crush on sausage king Bruce Aidell, specifically his fantastic red meat-focused recipes. I've been dying to try his braised oxtail recipe for two years, but the frugal part of me was hesitant ($16 for a couple pounds!).

My very generous friend asked me if I were interested in some leftover oxtail and I gladly said yes. This recipe took two whole days and it turned out absolutely delicious. However, it was on the fatty side, so I'm saving this for special occasion.

~Ray

Father's Office

It's the last night of my mom's visit and she wanted to take us out for a nice dinner. We picked Father's Office, home of the best burger ever!



We had a chorizo sausage and cheese starter.



The soft-shell crab was pretty average.



We love the sweet potato fries. It's crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside.



The burger is amazing.

~Ray

Homemade Okonomiyaki

Every summer when my mom visits, I always have a list of requests. Most of them are Japanese comfort food like omelette rice, niku jaga, and, of course, okonomiyaki. This year, I invite my good friend at work who is as crazy about okonomiyaki as I am.







This is the ONLY way my husband would ever eat cabbage. My mom is definitely happy about that.

~Ray

La Dijonaise

I've always been a fan of breakfast at La Dijonaise, especially its ooey gooey Croque Madame. When we were turned away from Father's Office a few doors down, we decided to try dinner here instead.



The scallops in a lobster brandy saffron sauce was decent. I feel the scallops could be a little fresher.



Kevin had the Beef Stroganoff.

~Ray

Katong Laksa!

My good friend took me to Katong for their famous laska. She insisted the one we went was the "original" one. But how come there's no customer? Nonetheless, Kevin thinks this is the best laksa he's had.



Lime juice





Otah



The best part is you can just eat it with a spoon, no chopsticks required.

~Ray

Wee Nam Kee

A trip to Singapore is not complete without a visit to my favorite roasted chicken rice place.



I can eat this every day for the rest of my life.



Sambal kang kong

~Ray

Shangri-La High Tea

My husband fell in love with the concept of high tea three years ago during our honeymoon in Singapore. He is a tea fanatic with a sweet tooth. His first introduction was the high tea buffet at the Shangri-La.





What a spread!



The sushi was a little out of place.



Haha ... yes, it's laksa! It's actually pretty good.



A little greens to offset all the protein.





All-you-can-drink tea



God almighty ... we were full.

~Ray